José DeLeón, Former MLB Pitcher for White Sox, Pirates and Cardinals, Dead at 63

Mar. 15, 2025

José DeLeón.Photo:Ron Vesely/Getty

Ron Vesely/Getty

Former baseball proJosé DeLeónhas died, reports theAssociated Press. He was 63.

A cause of death has not yet been revealed for the former major league pitcher, although he had been dealing with health issues, his Dominican Winter League team, Los Leones del Escogido, said, according to the AP.MLB insider Hector Gomezand theChicago Sun-Timesreported that DeLeón died of cancer.

DeLeón died Sunday evening at Cedimat Hospital in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Los Leones del Escogido, said, reports the AP. No other details were immediately available.

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José DeLeón.George Gojkovich/Getty

George Gojkovich/Getty

During his 13 seasons in the MLB, DeLeón pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Chicago White Sox, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Montreal Expos, perCBS Sports. He was active from 1983 to 1995.

“I’m saddened to hear of Jose’s passing,” Lamont said. “That’s too bad. He was a really good pitcher for a lot of years and a super guy. He was always ready to pitch.”

José DeLeón.Ron Vesely/Getty

“Jose was a terrific teammate and passionate about people,” Dan Evans, who was the White Sox' general manager during DeLeón’s time with the team, told theSun-Times. “He had an above average repertoire, and helped us when we badly needed a starter in the mid-1980s and then contributed a lot from the bullpen in the 1990s.”

DeLeón’s professional highlights include his major league debut on July 23, 1983, in which he struck out nine batters over eight innings in a 5-2 win over the San Francisco Giants. In 1989, DeLeón led the National League with 201 strikeouts.

He also made 415 appearances, including 264 starts, throughout his career.

source: people.com